Bringing her home

My voice, it falters but my will shall not betray,
These tales that I have vowed to convey.
As the fifth song I begin,
I feel an unearthly chill from within.
A woman waded forward, surrounded by snow,
The village lights had soon turned into a distant glow.
Izumi still went forward, unrelenting,
"Maiko!!", she called out, all the while lamenting.
"Maiko!!", her tears nearly froze as they came
But she continued to call out her name.
She thought of nothing, except her child,
She worried not of what lurked in the wild.
The villagers spoke about legends of Yuki
Tales of terror and downright spooky.
She was said to be a mistress of snow
Who perished in a snowstorm ages ago.
A Yokai's form she assumed,
So many lost, so many her snow consumed.
Some said she was a beauty, most divine
With unmatched allure, her silken robes were fine.
Some said her lips were frozen blue,
Some said that the living's life she drew.
Some said she feasted upon mortal blood
Till they bled dry and slumped with a thud.
Some said she floated like a feather,
Some said she could control the weather.
Some said she had long, black hair,
Few said she was also known to care.
But Izumi went on, her mind was made,
"Maiko!!", she continued to wade.
A snow storm was beginning to rise,
And all one could hear was Izumi's cries.
The wind howled and bellowed
To warn her but her grit would not erode.
She still went further, deeper inside the storm
When finally she spotted a stranded form.
She ran up to her and turned her around,
She gasped in horror and then she frowned.
A woman lay lifeless, turning blue in the snow,
A woman Izumi once used to know.
She said a silent prayer and paid her obeisance,
Death lingered nearby, engaged in its spritely dance.
"Maiko!!", she yelled as she moved ahead.
Till she found herself walking in little pools of red.
She carefully evaded the nightmarish sight,
And finally, she met her, in the dead of the night.
Izumi stayed still as a mist descended about,
It was Yuki Onna, the Yokai, without a doubt.
"Is my Maiko with you?", Izumi spoke,
"Surely human, you think this is a joke."
Yuki Onna's blue lips curled into a smirk.
"You must not disrupt my work."
Izumi prostrated before the mistress of snow,
"Please, take me and let her go."
"I sent several warnings your way,
But now you have reached the end of your stay.
However, I am not all ice as people say
And one act of kindness, I must display.
Maiko should be safe for now,
One wish, just one, I shall allow?"
Yuki Onna showed her visions of Maiko,
She had taken refuge in a cave of snow.
Izumi thought for a while and then said,
"I wish you were my child, back from the dead."
No sooner had Izumi finished saying so
That Yuki Onna melted away, so did her snow.
Tiny embers of purple sparkled about
And in her place a  baby lay, wearing a pout.
Izumi picked up the child and hugged her tight,
"Let's find your sister, now all is right."



About the post:  This post uses the concept of "Yuki Onna" which, as per Japanese beliefs is a spirit (Yokai) associated with the snow. It is believed of a woman and there are multiple myths about her appearance and powers.